An article on one of my favourite medieval rulers. I did most of myMA work on Theoderic and sometimes wonder how I kept this articleso short :-)

Theoderic the Great--Nicolaa de Bracton of Leicester

The "fall of the Roman Empire" is one of the great benchmarks ofhistory in modern thought. Yet it was not until the Renaissance thatthe populace of Europe realized that it had fallen; to those livingin the Middle Ages, Charlemagne had been as much a Roman Emperor ashad Augustus. Charlemagne, of course, is well-known. Less famous,but in many ways more compelling as a transitional figure, isTheoderic the Great, one of the last monarchs to rule a unified Italyuntil the nineteenth century.

Theoderic's people, the Ostrogoths, had originally came from the areanow known as the Ukraine. Inroads by the Huns had gradually pushedthem east starting in the fourth century, until they reached centralEurope, where they were subjugated by the Huns. The death of thegreat Hunnic leader Atilla in 451, however, caused the Hunnicconfederation to break down and allowed the Ostrogoths to rulethemselves once more. Three brothers of the royal Amal line assumedjoint leadership. Theoderic, born about 451, was the son ofThiudimir, one of the brothers.

The establishment of an Ostrogothic kingdom inevitably brought contactand conflict with their neighbors to the south--the Romans. Thisearly period is marked by alternating good and bad relations, as theRomans used the Ostrogoths, who sought to become a client kingdom, asa bargaining chip in their own political turmoils. The result of onetreaty sent the young Theoderic, aged eight, to Constantinople as aroyal hostage. This was no dishonour, and Theoderic, at the veryleast, was given the good treatment due to a son of a king. If hislater behaviour is any indication, Theoderic gained in this formativeperiod a great appreciation for Roman culture--especially in the areaof law.

The rise of another Ostrogoth named Theoderic--nicknamed "Strabo",which means "squinter"-- caused the Romans much alarm. Strabo claimedroyal blood and seemed dangerously close to assembling a force thatwould threaten Roman power. Thus Theoderic, now eighteen years old,was sent home as encouragement to his father and uncle to counter thisrise. The young Theoderic was given his own command and won astunning victory over a rebellious town; as a result, he was elevatedto the joint kingship. Four years later, his father was dead and hisuncle had moved further west to form his own kingdom, leavingTheoderic as sole king. The problem of Strabo was not easily solved,however. Over the next decade and a half, the two Theoderics viedfor the loyalty of the Ostrogothic people. It was only Strabo'saccidental death that gained Theoderic the final victory.

Theoderic had now succeeded in doing what the Romans had fearedmost--uniting the Ostrogoths under one ruler. Their own politicalsituation was unstable. Something had to be done. Theoderic wasappointed Consul in Constantinople--the highest honour which could begiven to a Roman. His people were promised land to meet their needs.The emperor Anastasius, however, continued to delay the finalsettlement. Theoderic was on the verge of marching on Constantinoplewhen an agreement was finally reached: Theoderic would reclaim Italyfor the Empire.

In 476, the last Roman Emperor in the West had been deposed byOdovacar, one of his military officials. Odovacar changed the formsof government very little; but unlike his predecessors, he wasunwilling to be merely the power behind the throne. The remainingEmpire in the East, however, mourned the loss of control in the West.Enter Theoderic. Anastasius would allow him and his people to journeyto Italy, regain it from Odovacar, and to rule there in his nameuntil he could come in person. After a long journey and two years offighting and siege, Theoderic agreed to share the kingship withOdovacar on March 5, 493. Ten days later, Odovacar was slain at afeast--legend says by Theoderic's own hand. This act of violence,ironically, initiated thirty years of peace in Italy.

Theoderic is remembered as a patron of learning. His court fosteredsuch scholars as Cassiodorus, whose diplomatic correspondence in thename of the king is marked by ornate Latin and contains lettersaddressed to all variety of officials---from low-level military andbureaucratic functionaries to Emperors and kings such as Clovis. Thephilosopher Boethius was also a court treasure and friend of the king.Despite the fact that he was an Arian Christian and thus considered aheretic by the Catholic church, Theoderic was asked by the Pope tomediate a schism. Throughout his reign, Theoderic put much effortinto building and restoration throughout Italy, but particularly inRavenna, his capital. Several buildings built by Theoderic, includingthe church of San Apollinaire, famed for its mosaics, stand to this day.

While Theoderic kept the peace in Italy, he was active in warselsewhere. Until the death of Clovis in 511, Theoderic had to beconstantly on guard against the threat of Frankish expansion. He wasable to stop Frankish advances towards Visigothic Spain, and upon thedeath of Alaric II in 507, he became king of all the Goths, unitingSpain and Italy under one rule. Theoderic also formed marriagealliances by sending his daughters to several Germanic kings. Hehimself married Audofleda, the sister of Clovis. Theoderic gave all ofhis daughters (he had no sons) an education in classicalculture--particularly Amalasuintha. Amalasuintha was given inmarriage to Eutharic, a Visigothic prince, in hopes that this wouldpermanently cement the two Gothic nations. Unfortunately, this didnot happen. Though Eutharic and Amalasuintha had a son, Athalaric,Eutharic died prematurely.

This was not the only matter to go awry in Theoderic's final years.Old Emperor Anastasius, who had never been strong enough to come toItaly in person, had at last died. His successor was Justin, who wasalso advanced in years, but who had an energetic young nephew by thename of Justinian. Theoderic himself, now in his seventies, had onlyAthalaric, his infant grandson, as an heir. Rumours came toTheoderic's ear that some within his own court were conspiring againsthim in favour of a return to direct imperial rule. Furthermore, theCatholic church, its internal problems solved, was now turning againstthe Arian Theoderic. Several leading senators were arrested onsuspicion of conspiracy, including Boethius. It was while he wasimprisoned awaiting execution that this philosopher wrote the famousConsolation of Philosophy. Theoderic's last years were unfortunatelymarked by growing suspicion and distrust, as the fragile union ofGoths and Romans he had forged began to unravel. He died in 526,naming the boy Athalaric as his heir and his daughter Amalasuintha asregent. His kingdom outlived him barely a decade before fallingbefore the Byzantine forces under Belisarius and Justinian. Yet he isremembered as "great"--for in the turmoil of the fifth and sixthcenturies, he somehow united Goths and Romans for three decades of peace.

If this article is reprinted in a publication, I would appreciate a notice inthe publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would alsoappreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are beingreprinted. Thanks. -Stefan.